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metre2

Pronunciation: /ˈmiːtə/

(US meter)

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Definition of metre

noun

the rhythm of a piece of poetry, determined by the number and length of feet in a line:the Horatian ode has an intricate governing metre [mass noun]:unexpected changes of stress and metre
the basic rhythmic pattern of beats in a piece of music: a dance song in fast quadratic metre Prokofiev’s complex metres

Origin:

Old English, reinforced in Middle English by Old French metre, from Latin metrum, from Greek metron 'measure'

Do not confuse meter with metre. A meter is a device that measures and records something (a gas meter), whereas a metre is a unit of measurement or the rhythm of a poem. However, the American spelling for both meanings is meter.

metre in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of metre in the US English dictionary

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